Former coordinator Torey Donovan is new Emerald Ridge football coach
Torey Donovan is an unlikely steward of Emerald Ridge’s high-flying, pass-heavy offense. His background, both in his playing days and the majority of his coaching career, has been focused on the ground game.
“The kids and other coaches on our staff make fun of me because they know I love to run the ball,” Donovan told The News Tribune by phone on Tuesday morning, laughing.
Donovan, 43, is the new head football coach at Emerald Ridge High School, replacing Adam Schakel, who guided the Jaguars to the school’s first state tournament appearances the past two seasons. Schakel recently stepped down to spend more time with family. His son, Jake, will be playing football at Eastern Washington in the fall.
Emerald Ridge, located in South Hill just northeast of Graham, opened its doors in 2008. Donovan, who grew up in a military family, attended Rogers High School just up the road. He played on the offensive and defensive lines for the Rams, setting in motion a career centered around winning games up front and running the football.
After attending WSU, Donovan coached at Rogers from 2004 to 2009 before joining Emerald Ridge’s coaching staff, where he’s been since. He was the offensive line coach for most of that span and served as the offensive coordinator the past two seasons during the school’s most successful run. Alongside Schakel, he crafted an offense that put points on the scoreboard at a dizzying pace.
“We were blessed with some great athletes the past couple years,” Donovan said. “It was fun being able to put an offense together that was that explosive with that much talent. I’m excited to keep trying to build on that, maintain that success.
“I know it’s going to look different. We still have a good amount of talent. There’s a lot of guys waiting in the wings.”
Emerald Ridge will have to replace star receivers Tony Harste and Gio Kafentzis, running back Navarre Dixon and record-setting quarterback Jake Schakel. Schakel, Harste and Kafentzis were all first-team selections to the TNT’s 2023 All-Area team last fall.
“I think trying to keep it as simple as possible,” Donovan said of the year one game plan. “We have our whole staff coming back, minus Adam. … Just continuing to build on what we have. I’m a big believer in the weight room. That has to be the foundation of every high school football program. I’m not oblivious to the challenge, either. We’re gonna look different and be different.”
Donovan should have no issue integrating the weight-room component into his vision for the program. He teaches weight training and P.E. at Emerald Ridge.
Donovan plans to remain heavily involved in coaching the offensive line and run game, while letting new offensive coordinator Austin Smith be more heavily involved in the passing game.
“We do a good job of just meshing it together,” Donovan said. “Obviously, that will continue.”
